Trump’s War on Georgia Manufacturing Continues, as ICE Shuts Down Construction at Hyundai and Jobs Report Shows Collapse

Atlanta, GA — Hundreds of workers were detained in an ICE raid at a Hyundai plant in Elabell, Georgia, yesterday, the latest development in Donald Trump’s war on Georgia manufacturing. Trump has repeatedly singled out EV manufacturing for attack by any means available, despite the lifeline it is providing to working class communities in states like Georgia, and this is just the latest disruption. This comes on the heels of a national jobs report that showed manufacturing jobs fell by 12,000 last month and are now down by 78,000 over the year. The Hyundai plant where the ICE raid took place manufactures electric vehicle batteries and represents part of the biggest industrial investment in Georgia’s history. 

“Republican Governor Brian Kemp has praised this investment in Georgia’s economy and then Trump and his partisan cronies sent ICE to the Hyundai plant,” said Georgia State Director at Climate Power, Mark McLaurin. “Which is it: do Republicans want to grow Georgia’s manufacturing or crush it? Their actions make their answer clear. Since Day One, Trump and Republicans in Congress have created a climate of uncertainty and chaos for manufacturing businesses while driving up utility costs and giving handouts to billionaires.” 

Trump is actively making Georgia hostile to industry investment. In response to the raid, a spokesperson for the South Korean foreign ministry said, “The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement.” According to local media reports, 300 of the arrested workers were South Korean nationals. 

This raid and the slow job growth report comes as electric bills are up 10 percent nationally since Trump took office. Trump claims to be a businessman, but the data is clear: his policies are wreaking havoc on Georgia’s economy and manufacturing industry.